710 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY-GENERAL REPORT, 
GALLINAGO, Leach. 
Gallinago, “Leach, Catal. British Birds, 1816.” Gray. Type Scolopax major, L. 
Cii.—L ower portion of the tibia bare of feathers, scutellate before and behind, reticulated laterally like the tarsi. Nail of 
hind toe slender, extending beyond the toe. Biil depressed at the tip. Middle toe longer than tarsus. Tail with twelve to 
sixteen feathers. 
The more slender body, longer legs, partly naked tibia, and other features, distinguish this 
genus from Scolopax or Philohela. 
GALLINAGO WILSONII, (Temm.) Bon. 
Wilson’s Snipe; English Snipe. 
Scolopax wilsonii, Temm. PI. Col. V, livraison lxviii, about 1824. In text of Scolopax gig ante a. —Bon. Syn. 1828, 
330.— Swains. F. B. Am. II, 1831, 401.— Nutt. Man. II, 185. —Aud. Orn. Biog. Ill, 1835, 
322 : V, 1839, 583 ; pi. 243.— 1b. Syn. 248.— 1b. Birds Amer. V, 1842, 339 ; pi. 350. 
Gallinago wilsonii, Bonap. List, 1838. 
Scolopax gallinago, Wils. Am. Orn. VI, 1812, 18. Not of Linnaeus. 
Scolopax brehmii, “ Kaup,” Bon. Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 204. Not of Kaup. 
Scolopax delicata, Ord, ed. Wils. IX, 1825, 218. 
? Scolopax drummondii, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 400.— Aud. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 319 .—Ib. Syn. 249 .—Ib. 
Birds Amer. V. 
? Scolopax douglassii, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 400. 
? Scolopax leucurus, Sw. F. Bor. Am. II, 1831, 50. 
Sp. Ch.—B ill long, compressed, flattened and slightly expanded towards the tip, pustulated in its terminal half; wings rather 
long ; legs moderate ; tail short. Entire upper parts brownish black ; every feather spotted and widely edged with light rufous, 
yellowish brown or ashy white ; back and rump transversely barred and spotted with the same ; a line from the base of the bill 
over the top of the head. Throat and neck before, dull reddish ashy ; wing feather marked with dull brownish black ; other 
under parts white, with transverse bars of brownish black on the sides, axillary feathers and under wing coverts and under tail 
coverts ; quills brownish black ; outer edge of first primary white ; tail glossy brownish black, widely tipped with bright rufous, 
paler at the tip, and with a subterminal narrow band of black ; outer feathers of tail paler, frequently nearly white and barred 
with black throughout their length. Bill brown, yellowish at base and darker towards the end ; legs dark brown. Total 
length about 10| inches ; wing, 5 ; tail, 2| ; bill, 2j ; tarsus, 1| inch. 
Hub .—Entire temperate regions of North America. California, (Mr. Szabo.) 
With numerous specimens before us from western North America, as will he seen in the list 
appended below, and numerous others from various localities in the United States, we fail to 
perceive the characters of more than one species, and much suspect that neither of the species 
established by Mr. Swainson in Fauna Boreali Americana, as cited above, are valid or really 
distinct from our present bird. There is amongst them a great variety of ividtlis of the outer 
tail feathers, and quite as great a variety also in their shades of color, so great, in fact, as to 
render it utterly impossible to entertain the idea of regarding either as a specific character, and, 
moreover, making the determining of these species quite inconvenient with so many specimens. 
Two of those supposed species, Scolopax drummondii and S. douglasii, are described in the 
body of the work cited above, and one, S. leucurus , is added in the appendix. It is worth 
hearing in mind that Mr. Swainson was not acquainted with the common S. wilsonii , and only 
describes it doubtfully with the following remark: “A specimen of a snipe from Hudson’s Bay, 
in the British Museum, possesses all the distinctive characters ascribed by the Prince of Musig- 
nano to his Sc. ivilsonii, of which toe have seen no authenticated examples.” 
Our present opinion is that all the names above given are synonyms for the species now 
before us. All of their characters can be found in the extensive series of specimens now under 
